Voices of the Night
by Sailor Elf
Summary: Methos begins to hear voices and act quite strangely. What's causing it? Duncan and Elkaryene have to find out before Methos drives himself out of his mind and hurts someone...or himself.
1. Hearing Things

Disclaimer-Not Methos, not Duncan or anyone from Highlander belongs to me. No way. Elkaryene's mine and any other original character.  
  
Summary-Methos begins to hear voices and act quite strangely. What's causing it? Duncan and Elkaryene have to find out before Methos drives himself out of his mind and hurts someone...or himself.  
  
###  
  
Voices of the Night  
  
Methos walked down the dark street, heading towards Macleod's place. He was reading a book as he did so and not paying much attention to the things around him. Not that he had to worry but he knew no one was out and about down here.  
  
It was then that he felt the presence of another Immortal. He pulled out his sword and was ready for the other person to walk into view. He quickly ooked around the area to find no one else was around. He narrowed his eyes in confusion.  
  
_'What is going on here?_' he asked himself, lowering his sword but keeping it ready just in case. "Who are you? Come out and show yourself!"  
  
He continued down the street, glancing from side to side as he did so.  
  
_'Where're you going in such a hurry? I thought you'd stay and we'd chat a while,_' came a male voice.  
  
The voice was almost sneering and Methos tried not to let it scare him. He was very nervous about this situation. It also seemed that the voice was coming from all directions. That aspect was inwardly scaring the heck out of Methos.  
  
"Whoever you are, you won't scare me," Methos said.  
  
_'Oh I'm not trying to scare you. You're doing a good job on your own scaring yourself_,' the voice said before all was quiet.  
  
Methos noticed that the presence he felt disappeared along with the voice.  
  
"Now that's weird. What the heck was that all about?" Methos muttered to himself as he headed towards Duncan's dojo.  
  
###  
  
"So this is what the Western part of the continent looks like?" asked Elkaryene.  
  
"At least what this part looks like. It varies as you get more north and more south," Duncan told her. "You've never been this far west before?"  
  
"Well, I have but it's changed since the last time I was here," came the reply.  
  
"How long ago was that? You're only a century-and-a-half old," Duncan said with a smile on his face. "Even you couldn't have been in many places in your short life."  
  
"Ahh, let me think. I came here after the bombing at Pearl Harbor, about 50 years ago," she told him before smiling. "And you'd be surprised Duncan Macleod of the clan Macleod. After all, I did travel along the eastern coasts of the Americas for over twenty years. I'm surprised that I didn't meet any other Immortals during that time. It's a fluke that I finally met Fitz around the turn of the century."  
  
Duncan had to give a small laugh as he turned away. Once he knew that Elkaryene couldn't see his face, he put on a sad look. The mention of Hugh Fitzcairn brought back memories of the Immortal's death.  
  
"And I have to thank you for bringing me with you here," Elkaryene told him.  
  
"It's no problem. Scott wouldn't want to leave you alone just yet, even though Charley's already been killed and there're no more threats against you," Duncan said as he turned around to face her.  
  
Elkaryene smiled at him before grabbing a pillow off the bed and threw it over at him. He laughed as it hit him and he picked it up.  
  
"Sometimes, I wonder about you," Duncan told her, curious to what she thought how old the oldest man was.  
  
"Sometimes, I wonder about Scott. He will occasionally seem distant, as if remembering the life way before technology. I still don't know how old he is. I can only guess," she said.  
  
"Have you guessed? How old do you think he is?" Duncan wondered.  
  
"I've had many ideas over the years. I can only say he's at least 2,000 years old. He must be. Sometimes, he acts like it," Elkaryene replied with a sigh. "Don't tell me otherwise Macleody. I've studied up on my history and some of the tactics that I've seen him use seem to be ancient. I stayed with him before, for some time after the _Titanic_ incident. He would sometimes talk in his sleep and I wouldn't understand what he would say."  
  
"He might have been speaking in a language you haven't heard before," suggested Duncan.  
  
"Yeah, could be but it was no language that I could recognize. I know it wasn't. I don't know about you Duncan but I am fluent in three languages. I'm teaching myself Japanese and Spanish right now but that's beside the point. I didn't recognize the words because they didn't sound like they came from any of today's languages," she told him. "I know it doesn't."  
  
Duncan looked at her with a slightly surprised look on her face.  
  
"Do you know anything Duncan? Do you? Please tell me," she asked ofhim.  
  
"No, I don't. Why would I know anything?" he replied, trying to hide the fact that he knew something.  
  
"Uh-huh," was all she said before they felt the presence of another Immortal nearby.  
  
They looked towards the door to see Methos walking inside. He appeared to be a bit frazzled by something.  
  
"You don't look like yourself Scott. What's wrong?" wondered Elkaryene.  
  
"No, nothing's wrong Kari. I'm fine," he replied, a smile on his face.  
  
She saw through that smile and she decided not to push the subject just yet.  
  
_'I have to wonder what's going on through his mind. He confuses me greatly, even after the time I've known him_,' she thought to herself.  
  
She hoped he would come to her someday with any of his problems. She remembered telling him that if he ever needed anyone to talk to, she'd be there for him. Duncan and Elkaryene both looked at the sweat now rolling down his face.  
  
"Scott, are you certain everything is alright?" wondered Elkaryene as she stepped towards him.  
  
"Yes, it is," he replied, stepping away from her advancing moves.  
  
It was then that he felt the presence of an Immortal heading in their direction. He pulled out his sword and twirled around, looking for the Immortal heading theirway, making both Elkaryene and Duncan glance at each other in confusion.  
  
"Scott, what's wrong?" asked Duncan, remembering to call him by the name that Elkaryene was most familiar with.  
  
"Can't you feel it? There's another Immortal nearby!" Methos replied as he stared at him.  
  
The two were confused by this action for they did not feel another Immortal nearby.  
  
"No, there's not. It's just the three of us, that's all," Duncan told him  
  
Methos became worried by this statement. He looked between the two as he felt the presence engulf him.  
  
_'You will never get away from me,'_ he heard a voice say, followed by a laugh. _'Never!'  
_  
TBC... 


	2. A Question and No Answer

"Scott, what's wrong? You've never acted like this before," wondered Elkaryene as she tried to walk up to him. "Tell me."  
  
"Stay back!" he told her, an arm reached out as if to stop her from getting closer. "I can't believe that you're not feeling this. There's someone else here, I tell you! There is!"  
  
"There's no one besides the three of us Scott," Duncan replied, a small smile on his face but deep inside, he was very worried.  
  
"What's wrong?" Elkaryene demanded to know.  
  
_'Tell them Scott! Tell them what's wrong! Tell them you're feeling the presence of another Immortal nearby. They'll soon think you're crazy!_' the voice told him in the same sneering voice but it had a laugh in it this time.  
  
Methos turned around in a circle a few times before the presence disappeared and so did the voice. He put down his sword. He was very confused with what was happening.  
  
"I was sure someone was here. Now who was it and where were they?" he muttered to himself. "And why couldn't you sense them coming?"  
  
"Scott?" Elkaryene questioningly said as she stepped up to him.  
  
Methos looked at her and sighed, the questions running through his mind.  
  
"I'm fine Kari. I'm fine. I don't know what just happened," he replied, giving a small smile to her. "Nothing, really. It's nothing to worry about.  
  
Yet to Elkaryene, it seemed to be a fake smile. She wasn't sure what exactly happened but she figured it wasn't good.  
  
_'What goes through your mind Scott? I will never know unless you tell me,_' she thought to herself.  
  
"How about we go see Joe and get a drink? Maybe it's just your nerves after what's happened recently with Charley. Maybe this will calm them," suggested Duncan.  
  
Methos nodded as the three of them headed down to the bar. But Methos knew that it couldn't possibly be with what recently happened with Charley Street, the Immortal who was searching for Elkaryene for decades.  
  
###  
  
"You can't be serious Mac. Methos, of all people, is sensing other Immortals that aren't even there? I don't believe it. It's just not possible," Joe replied.  
  
"But it's true. I'm worried about him and Elkaryene. She trusts him with her life and I'm afraid that if they're ever alone, he might accidentally take her head if he ever senses it again," replied Duncan.  
  
"I'm not buying it. It's just not possible and no one in the Watcher's organization has ever heard of something like this happening before," Joe replied as he looked at the Scot. "I should know. I would've probably heard about it."  
  
Methos and Elkaryene couldn't hear the conversation. They were sitting at a table nearby while Duncan and Joe were at the bar.  
  
"I still don't believe it. I mean, I know he's older than the rest of us but I don't see him going senile anytime soon, even for the world's oldest man," Joe quietly told the Immortal standing next to him.  
  
"I know what you mean. I just hope it's nothing serious and that was just a fluke," Duncan quietly replied.  
  
The Scotsman looked over the room, at the empty chairs. The place wasn't open yet so if anything did happen to occur, they wouldn't have any visitors.  
  
Duncan was thinking about how the young female Immortal was feeling at the moment. He was hearing the conversation she and Methos were having but was not paying any attention to what was being said.  
  
"Macleod?" came a voice, breaking him out of his trance.  
  
"What? Yeah Joe, what is it?" Duncan wondered, turning to face the mortal.  
  
"What's wrong? You seemed distant there for a moment," Joe wanted to know.  
  
"I was wondering about things. A number of things actually," replied Duncan as they continued to watch the two other Immortals.  
  
"I'd say not to worry about it just yet. After all, it's only been one incident," Joe told him.  
  
Methos had his head in his hands, his elbows in the table. He didn't know what to do. He didn't want to admit it to Elkaryene or Duncan that he was a little scared of what was happening. Heck, he didn't know if he could them what happened yet. _'Can I tell them? No! They'd just laugh at me and call me crazy,'_ he thought to himself.  
  
"Why won't you tell me what's wrong Scott? I want to help you. After all, you've helped me in so many ways," Elkaryene asked him.  
  
"It's nothing, believe me," he lied, running a hand through his hair.  
  
She didn't believe what he said and she was determined to help him, whatever his problem was. She watched as Methos suddenly perked up his head and looked around the room. She was confused as was Joe and Duncan as they noticed from where they were.  
  
"What's wrong?" Duncan demanded to know.  
  
_'Not again,'_ screamed an inner voice in Methos' head.  
  
_'Yes, it is me again,'_ came the voice and Methos began to sense the presence of another Immortal nearby.  
  
Methos quickly stood up, knocking the chair over in the process. Elkaryene became worried now for she thought he might turn his sword on her or on Duncan. She didn't want to see either of those things happening.  
  
"Scott!" she cried as she watched him.  
  
"Oh no, not again," muttered Duncan as he moved towards the two.  
  
Methos pulled out his sword and Joe was glad that no one else was there to witness this. He really didn't want to explain what was happening. The eldest Immortal turned around as the voice talk to him again.  
  
_'Yes, I'm here again. I will always be here, until the day you die. So you're going to have to live with me until you do so,'_ the voice told him.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" demanded Methos.  
  
_'What do I want? My, my Scott. It doesn't matter what I want! What I am going to give you, though, is so much torment that you will wish you were dead!_' cried the voice as the presence became closer.  
  
It was then that Methos saw someone else besides his two friends. It was a man standing next to the position where his youngest friend was standing at the moment.  
  
_'Here I am. Come and get me,'_ the man said, raising his arms slightly as if taunting him.  
  
Methos saw the sword in one of his hands and the eldest Immortal lunged at him. The man raised his arms to protect his head and he screamed.  
  
TBC... 


	3. Help From Another Source

Methos heard the clanking of sword against sword just before his reached the man. Methos had to shake his head and his vision cleared to see Duncan standing next to him, the Scot's sword against his own, blocking it from taking Elkaryene's head. She was shaking all over before she had enough courage to move away from the two older Immortals and walk over to Joe. The Watcher placed a hand on her shoulder as she placed her head in her hands.  
  
"Macleod," was all Methos managed to say.  
  
"What happened? This has to be serious. You almost took Elkaryene's head!" Duncan demanded to know.  
  
"I...I don't know," Methos replied as he lowered his sword.  
  
He walked to the nearest table and dropped his sword on the floor next to it before leaning on the table.  
  
"Scott?" Duncan cautiously said.  
  
"Macleod, take Kari as far as you can away from here as you possibly can," Methos asked him.  
  
"What will she do then? She'll be lost without you," Duncan wondered as he lowered his sword.  
  
"I care for her Macleod. She's one of the few Immortal friends I have left from before I met you. Out of all the Immortals I had met over the years since Kronos, if I had to choose one to keep alive, it'd be her," Methos whispered to him. "She means more to me than what you'll ever know."  
  
Duncan sighed as he stared at the man standing in front of him. Methos looked at Duncan with sad eyes.  
  
"I really don't want to hurt her," Methos quietly told him.  
  
Before Duncan could say anything else, Methos hurried out of the building. Duncan was a bit upset as he walked to Elkaryene and Joe.  
  
"Are you alright?" Duncan asked her.  
  
"I'll be fine once I get over the shock of having my head nearly taken off," Elkaryene replied, her body still shaking from the incident. "The situation had never really come up before since I don't face off against too many Immortals."  
  
"In all the time since I met him, I've never known him to do something like that before. It's weird," Joe said to them.  
  
"Yeah, it is. What I want to know it what's causing it?" Duncan replied.  
  
"In all my knowledge, I've never heard of an Immortal ever flipping out like that. It's as if he's hearing voices or something and they're taunting him," Joe suggested.  
  
"Do you really think that's even possible Joe? Immortals don't get sick and they don't tend to hallucinate either," Duncan told him, sounding a bit angry. "Unless there's a reason to it and he won't tell us what's wrong."  
  
"I can't see why he won't tell us. We're his friends," Joe said, with Elkaryene nodding in agreement.  
  
"I've known him longer than the two of you and nothing like this has ever happened before. It's unlike him," she said to them. "He's always been good to me and he would never think of taking my head. Ever."  
  
Duncan nodded as he stared in the direction Methos headed in. He was both worried about his friend and a bit suspicious of what was going on.  
  
'What could it possibly be that's wrong with him?' he silently asked himself.

###  
  
Methos stumbled in disbelief as he walked down the street. He couldn't believe that he almost took Elkaryene's head. He was glad that Duncan was there to stop him frrom doing so.  
  
"I still can't believe I almost did that," he mumbled as he walked into an alleyway.  
  
He stared at the walls now surrounding him.  
  
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" he demanded, yelling out the questions.  
  
_'I am one of your darkest fears, that's what I am_,' the man replied with a snicker evident in his voice. _'And there's nothing you can do to stop me.'  
_  
Methos groaned the statement and placed a hand over his eyes.  
  
_'Please, I want this to stop_,' he thought to himself.  
  
_'I won't stop,_' the voice said, causing Methos to run out of the alley and down the street.  
  
He kept running, trying to find refuge from whatever this thing was.  
  
"Where could I go?" he muttered to himself.  
  
_'You can go nowhere for I can follow you everywhere_,' the voice replied.  
  
Methos hurried down the street before coming to a church. He stared at it for what seemed forever before deciding to head inside.  
  
_'I think I can be safe here for now,_' he thought to himself.

###  
  
Duncan, Joe and Elkaryene pondered about the situation. They were trying to figure out possible solutions to the problem they faced.  
  
"I can't think of anything to do. This is something we're totally unfamiliar with," Joe sighed as he placed a hand on his neck.  
  
"I have something in mind that I want to try out. Elkaryene, you've known him the longest, do you think he'd listen to you if you tried to talk to him?" wondered Duncan.  
  
"I'm unsure about that. Yes, I've known him for almost a century but still; there are aspects about his life that I don't know about. Remember what I said about his age?" Elkaryene replied.  
  
Duncan nodded. Joe was certain at that moment that the female Immortal was unaware of her friend's true identity as the world's oldest man.  
  
"Then all we have to do is find him and see, won't we?" replied Duncan as he gave a small smile.  
  
He stood up and headed out the door. Elkaryene began to follow him but stopped at the door to give a glance back to Joe.  
  
"I'll see what I can find out here," he told her, making her smile.

###  
  
Elkaryene walked down the street, waiting for that feeling that another Immortal was nearby. She was worried and she was inwardly regretting telling Duncan that she would be fine alone.  
  
_'I just he doesn't try and take my head again_,' she thought to herself. _'It was scary enough that one time_.'  
  
She headed down the street, past the church and that's when she felt the presence of another Immortal around. She stared at the building she was standing in front of before heading inside.  
  
There, she saw Methos sitting in a pew near the front. She began to walk towards him as he turned around.  
  
"Scott, I'm so glad I found you," she sighed.  
  
"Kari, you shouldn't have come. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to kill you," Methos quietly told her.  
  
"But I want to help you after all that you've done for me," Elkaryene told him, sounding like she was complaining.  
  
"I'm not myself and I'm not safe to be around. Just please leave Kari," he growled at her.  
  
He pointed at the door and Elkaryene appeared to be hurt by this action.  
  
"Alright, if you want me to leave, I will," she sadly replied before heading towards the door.  
  
Once at the door, she stopped and looked back at him as he turned around. She glanced up at the ceiling and sighed.  
  
"Please Fitz, help him. I've never seen him like this and I feel as if you can help him deal with whatever he's going through," she quietly said before heading out the door.  
  
As the door closed, a figure invisible to everyone appeared in the aisle behind the stricken Immortal. The figure stared at the door for a few moments before looking at the world's oldest man sitting in the pew.  
  
TBC...


	4. Many Worries and No Way of Knowing

Duncan walked around in the other direction of town. He sighed as he stopped by a grocery store.  
  
"I don't know if we'll ever find him. He could've gone anywhere so he doesn't hurt Elkaryene and we might not be following him," he muttered to himself.  
  
He turned to go head back to Joe's bar, not believing that Methos would be found anytime soon because of what happened.  
  
###  
  
Elkaryene walked back to Joe's place to sense Duncan inside. She walked inside to be greeted by both Duncan and Joe.  
  
"So how'd it go?" wondered Duncan.  
  
"I found him," she replied with a sigh.  
  
"That's a good thing, right?" Joe wanted to confirm.  
  
"Yes, it is a good thing. Where is he Elkaryene?" Duncan demanded to know.  
  
"He's in a church about a half-mile from here. Heading north. He pretty much flat out refused my help in any kind of form. Wouldn't be surorised if he refused your help. Something's wrong with him and I intend to find out what it is," she replied as she sat down. "He's never acted like this before. I don't know what's wrong."  
  
"I want to know what this is as well," Duncan agreed as Joe nodded.  
  
"What can we do to help him? Joe, did you find anything of value?" she wondered.  
  
"Sorry, but I found nothing. At least nothing that can help with the current situation," he replied, giving a shake of the head.  
  
The three all gave a sigh.  
  
"What can we continue with then? We know where he is at the moment," Duncan replied.  
  
"I'd say we start with that," Joe told him.  
  
###  
  
Methos couldn't see the figure behind him. The figure walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I'm here to help you, Methos," he told the elder Immortal, knowing that he wouldn't hear him. "Elkaryene asked me to and I will try my best."  
  
Fitzcairn sighed as he looked around the church, trying to see if there was anything there that could aide him.  
  
"What could possibly be wrong with you Methos? I never knew you personally but I knew you well enough through Elkaryene as Scott Winters," he muttered to himself. "Who could possibly want you to hear voices for no apparent reason?"  
  
He wondered what he could do to find out the source of the problem but he could think of nothing.  
  
Methos lifted his head to look around the room. He could feel another Immortal nearby again and he groaned, causing Fitzcairn to stare at him, wondering what was happening.  
  
"Not again," groaned Methos as he placed his head in his head.  
  
Fitzcairn was slightly wondering was Methos was talking about but soon figured it out that he was experiencing another one of the episodes.  
  
_'I might have to go into his mind and see what is happening. That is, if I can do it. I might be able to. After all, whoever's doing this has and he has to stop once and for all,_' he thought to himself as he stepped up to the Immortal who was now standing.  
  
Methos turned around in the spot he was standing, wondering where the feeling was coming from.  
  
"What do you want with me?" Methos demanded before falling back down to his knees. "I want this to stop."  
  
Fitzcairn couldn't help but watch as this was occurring. Just like his friends, he never knew of an Immortal to act like this before.  
  
"I have to see if I can get into his mind," he muttered to himself.  
  
He tried and he looked around to see that he was standing in the same place as before. But it seemed different this time. He could tell by the presence he was now feeling. Someone else was nearby other than the two of them.  
  
_'Who the heck could that be?'_ he asked himself.  
  
Fitzcairn was becoming more confused than ever with this new information.  
  
"I have got to do something," he suddenly said.  
  
"You can't stop me. No one can stop me," came a voice.  
  
Fitzcairn twirled around, trying to find the source of the voice but all he could hear was laughing and it was coming from every direction. He was holding out a sword that magically appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"You'll never find me either. I am the one who can't be found," he laughed. "I will destroy Scott and all that he holds dear."  
  
Fitzcairn sighed as he lowered the sword. He didn't know what to do now to start figuring out whom he was searching for.

###  
  
"What do we do now? Anything could be wrong with him and he refuses to accept any help from us," wondered Elkaryene.  
  
"I'd say we got back to him and see what we can do now. I think that even for Scott, he has to break down and ask for help sooner or later," Duncan replied. "Right now, it's the only thing we can do."  
  
"Just be careful Mac. You also don't know how he's going to react until he does ask. He could be dangerous. Heck, I don't even know how he's going to react," Joe told him. "This is a whole new thing to the Watchers and probably will stay that way. I'm not going to tell the others about Methos anytime soon."  
  
"Alright Joe. We'll be careful when we do approach him," Duncan sighed as he slightly nodded his head.  
  
"Come on. Let's go see how he's doing," Elkaryene said to Duncan.  
  
The two Immortals walked out of the building and Joe watched them leave. He never thought of Methos as the one needing help but he figured there's a first time for everything.  
  
"I just hope nothing happens. Especially to Elkaryene," he muttered to himself as he heard the door open. "I'm sorry but we're closed.  
  
"I've never known you to turn me away before Joe. Can't a girl come and see a friend?" came a female voice.  
  
Joe turned to see who it was and smiled once he did.  
  
"Nice to see you again," he told the woman.

###  
  
Hugh Fitzcairn walked around the place, wondering if he could figure out who was doing this to Methos, where the guy was and stop him before he could do anything else.  
  
The eldest Immortal was sitting in the pew, his head down. He almost appeared to Fitzcairn that he wanted this to stop yet didn't know how. The dead Immortal could tell that Methos was still upset over nearly taking his young friend's head just ever so recently.  
  
"Kari, I am so sorry," Methos quietly sobbed. "Please forgive me."  
  
"She knows you didn't do it deliberately," Fitzcairn said with a sigh. "I believe she'll forgive you."  
  
It was at that moment that Methos lifted his head and turned look around the church, a surprised look on his face, almost as if he knew the man was nearby.  
  
"What are you doing in my head as well? Please leave me alone. I know who you are but please leave alone," Methos pleaded.  
  
"I don't want to hurt you. Elkaryene wants me to help you," Fitzcairn replied before Methos put his head back down.  
  
"You can't help him. No one can," came a sinister voice.  
  
Both Methos and Fitzcairn began to sense the presence of another Immortal. Fitzcairn looked around to see a man standing by the entrance of the church. He was surprised to see who it was, even though his face was concealed by some shadows. He could tell who it was.  
  
"I should have known it was you," Fitzcairn snarled at the man.  
  
"Well, you didn't. Now, you will have to pay for intruding. Be prepared to face the consequences," the man told him as he stepped out of the shadows.  
  
TBC...


	5. One Truth Revealed

"I can't believe that it's you doing this but it shouldn't surprise me. I've heard about you and it hasn't been good," Fitzcairn told the man.  
  
"I've got a reputation! Too bad I've never heard of you. That means I will have to kill you since you know who I am," the man said with a laugh.  
  
"That's difficult to do since we're both already dead," Fitzcairn replied, sounding a bit upset.  
  
The man laughed as he walked up to Fitzcairn and circled around him. Fitzcairn was becoming nervous as he did so. He could almost feel the man's eyes burn into him.  
  
"You can't keep me, Charley Street, away from what I want," the man finally said with a snicker.  
  
"Scott has. He kept you away from Elkaryene long enough for Macleod to kill you. Let's try and talk this out. Maybe we can come to an agreement of some sort," Fitzcairn suggested to him.  
  
Charley appeared to have a disgusted look on his face from that statement. He turned to walk away from him and stopped a few feet away.  
  
"You don't realize what I've gone through to find Ella. She is the main reason I stayed alive all these years. I desired to have her head, to possess the knowledge she has," Charley replied as he angrily walked back up to Fitzcairn, who was trying to stay calm. "Now, if I can't get her head, I'll have her 'teacher' take it instead. I know they're very close friends and it would break his heart to harm her in any way let alone kill her."  
  
"I can't let you do this. This is madness!" Fitz angrily told him as he grabbed the other man's arm.  
  
"This isn't madness. This is planning it all out," replied Charley with a small laugh, as he broke free from the grasp.  
  
"Then if we can't settle this through diplomacy, then I'm afraid some other action will have to suffice," Fitzcairn replied as he pulled out his sword.  
  
Charley also pulled out his sword and the two began to fight.  
  
###  
  
Elkaryene and Duncan walked up to the church and looked at it.  
  
"So this is where Scott went to?" Duncan wanted to make sure as they walked up to it.  
  
"Yep and it looks like he's still here," replied Elkaryene, sensing the eldest Immortal inside the building.  
  
"Then let's go inside and see what we can do," Duncan told her before heading inside.  
  
"Maybe he'll listen to you. You've around him more lately," agreed Elkaryene as she followed him.  
  
"And you think he'll listen to me better than what he would you? You're the one who's known him longer than Joe and myself combined," Duncan said with a smile and a laugh.  
  
"It looks like my long friendship with him doesn't matter at the moment. We'll just have to wait and see," she replied, a sad look on her face.  
  
###  
  
Fitzcairn and Charley had their swords locked. They stared at each other. Fitzcairn was a bit upset.  
  
"You will not win this. You leave Scott alone. Leave Elkaryene alone. You're dead and let it be like that. You were not supposed to find Elkaryene," Fitzcairn told Charley through slightly gritted teeth.  
  
"Oh I will with this. I might not get Ella myself but it will be a pleasure to see what I'm about to do," came the reply.  
  
The two began to battle again, their swords frequently hitting each other.  
  
###  
  
Methos could feel a headache coming on and he could hear the voices as well. The headache was quickly getting very bad.  
  
"Oh great, now there are two of them. Please stop!" he pleaded as he placed his hands over his ears.  
  
He managed to climb to his feet and stumble into the aisle. The pain in his head intensified as the argument in his head continued and grew more intense. All of a sudden, he began to knock down several objects that were nearby. He pulled out his sword and threw it away from him.  
  
But the sword beckoned to him as he tried to look away. His stare came to the sword lying on the floor. He was being tempted to do something as he continued to stare at it longer.  
  
He slowly walked over to it and picked it back up before heading towards the door.  
  
###  
  
Duncan and Elkaryene headed towards the door and opened it. They looked in to see Methos walking towards them, sword in hand.  
  
"Scott! What's wrong? Please tell me," she pleaded with him as she stepped towards him.  
  
His eyes darted up to look at her but it was as if they didn't see her as he turned around in place. He lifted up his sword, preparing himself for some unknown enemy.

"I know you're there. I just have to find you," Meoths quietly told himself.

Elkaryene and Duncan looked at each other with curious looks.   
  
###  
  
Fitzcairn looked over at two Immortals who just walked in and at Methos. He was worried as he looked at the sight of the sword in the Immortal's hands.  
  
"Oh no. Something nasty is going to happen and it will be because of us," he muttered before blocking another blow from Charley.  
  
"And I will be happy of it," Charley told him with a laugh.  
  
"I don't believe you sometimes," Fitzcairn snarled at him.  
  
Charley simply shrugged before their battle continued.  
  
###  
  
Elkaryene dared not to approach Methos any further as he began to walk around as if no one else was in the room.  
  
"Scott!" she said.  
  
It appeared as if she finally had gotten through to him as he stared at her. He began to back away from her.  
  
"You're part of the enemy. You're here to tell me what to do as well," he barely said. "I must do something."  
  
Duncan and Elkaryene glanced at each other, both hearing what Methos had said and wondering what it meant. They were slightly unprepared for what happened next.  
  
Methos took his sword and lunged towards them. His sword was embedded in the person standing before him. In the back of his mind, he heard a familiar gasp.  
  
###  
  
Fitzcairn glanced over his shoulder and the look on his face turned to horror once he saw the scene nearby.  
  
"Oh no!" he cried, placing a hand over his eyes. "Elkaryene."  
  
"Oh yes!" cheered Charley, placing his hands in the air.  
  
Fitzcairn blocked an attack from Charley and knocked him to the ground before looking back at the scene. He slightly cringed as he looked at his friend with a sword in her abdomen, with Duncan looking on in horror.  
  
He watched as Methos slowly regained his senses and looked at what he had done. Fitzcairn figured at that since Charley and him stopped fighting, Methos would be in control of his actions. Methos watched in horror as Elkaryene slowly began to sink to the ground.  
  
"Kari," he managed to choke out as he slid the sword out of her body and gently lowered her onto the floor.  
  
He looked into her eyes and they asked 'why?' all over them. He could tell that she was trying to say something but was unable to. He couldn't believe it when she died in his arms. Methos stood up as Duncan knelt beside them.  
  
"Methos, what happened?" demanded Duncan.  
  
"I...I don't know," replied Methos as he stood up. "Macleod, no matter what, you will take Kari as far away from here as you possibly can. I don't want her to get hurt anymore because of me. I am not safe to be around right now."  
  
Methos soon turned and ran out the door. Fitzcairn couldn't help but watch as he hurried after him, with Charley following close behind.  
  
Duncan sighed as he waited for Elkaryene to recover from the injuries she ever so recently suffered from the man she called her teacher and friend.  
  
TBC...


	6. From Bad to Worse

Amanda hurried down the street, looking for Duncan, Elkaryene or Methos. After she heard what was happening with Methos from Joe, she knew she had to help somehow.  
  
"What have you gotten yourself into now Methos?" she muttered to herself.  
  
She soon passed a church and she stopped in front of it, sensing someone inside it.  
  
"That must be the church they're in!" she cried before heading inside.  
  
She walked through the door to hear someone coughing. Amanda ran inside to see Duncan kneeling next to Elkaryene, who the older Immortal saw was covered in blood.  
  
"What the heck happened?" Amanda demanded to know as she also knelt next to them.  
  
"We came in and saw Scott here. He acted as if we were never here until he regained his senses but that was after he attacked Elkaryene. I wish I knew what was going on with him," Duncan explained, knowing that the younger Immortal was in no position to do so.  
  
"Well, are you alright Yen?" Amanda wanted to know as she placed a hand on Elkaryene's shoulder.  
  
Elkaryene was slightly surprised by what was said. Amanda could tell when the younger Immortal's eyebrows flew up.  
  
"Now that's a name I haven't been called by for a while," she whispered.  
  
"What? Yen? Don't tell me you've been called that before," Duncan said with disbelief in his voice.  
  
"I have been called a few things that originate from my name: namely Ella, Kari, Yen. I've used other names like Sarah for instance. Of course, I imagine all Immortals have used aliases before," she replied as she moved to climb to her feet. "It's a natural thing."  
  
Amanda helped Elkaryene move towards a pew and the younger Immortal sat down.  
  
"We have to do something or else something like this will happen again. Next time, it might be a mortal who gets attacked and they won't exactly be getting back up," Amanda said.  
  
Duncan nodded in agreement from his position a few feet away from them. He turned away from them, a hand up to his chin. He was still trying to think of anything that could explain Methos' situation. Nothing he could think of could do so. Joe couldn't explain and he found that only one person could explain what was going on with Methos and that person was Methos himself.  
  
###  
  
Methos ran down the street, barely paying any attention to his surroundings or the people around him. All he wanted now was to get as far away from everybody as humanly possible.  
  
"I can't believe I attacked Elkaryene! She must hate me now for it," he mumbled to himself. "I know she must. Where can I go that I'll be away from her? At least until I am rid of this problem."  
  
He continued to run until he came across another church. He noticed it was near the outskirts of town and he was glad. He stopped to look at it before heading inside, hoping that Duncan, Elkaryene or any other of his friends would find him.  
  
###  
  
"This is madness Street. You're hurting him even more! You have to stop this!" Fitzcairn yelled at Charley.  
  
"I know and that's the way I want it. You saw how Scott almost took Ella's head. Now we have to allow dear Ella enough time to find us and head off Holy Ground before I have Scott take her head. He'll want to wither up and die because he knows that all his hard work has gone down the drain, even with me not around anymore," Charley laughed.  
  
The two began to circle each other, swords once again in hand.  
  
"I will not let you get away with this," Fitzcairn snarled.  
  
"We all have to deal with what happens to our friends. Scott will have to live with what he almost did. He deserves for keeping me from Elkaryene," Charley replied.  
  
"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," Fitzcairn told him.  
  
"Well, that is what defines me because I would! Heck, I'm even causing what's happening to my own worst enemy!" Charley cried out, laughing. "I will see Elkaryene dead very soon!"  
  
The two began to fight again, the connecting of their swords unheard by everyone but themselves.  
  
###  
  
Duncan and Amanda led Elkaryene into the bar. Joe was still there, waiting for them to return. He saw the blood on the youngest Immortal's shirt.  
  
"What the heck happened?" he asked.  
  
"Scott attacked her," Amanda sighed as she sat down in a chair. "And on Holy Ground on top of that."  
  
"he attacked her on Holy Ground? That's crazy! I don't get it. An Immortal won't attack another Immortal on Holy Ground. It's practically unheard of! It's almost impossible. We have to find him and help him with whatever's wrong before something like this happens again," Joe said, not believing what he was hearing.  
  
"It's true Joe. He attacked her on Holy Ground but remember that he's not in his right mind either!" Duncan said, backing up Amanda's story. "You should know that no Immortal in his right mind attacks another on Holy Ground. I should know."  
  
"This has got to be one of the worst things to happen to me after all those disasters I've been involved with," muttered Elkaryene as she sat down next to Amanda.  
  
She leaned back in the chair, ignoring the bloodstain on her shirt. It seemed to Joe that she might have gotten used to the feel of her blood against her skin. She might not like it but she has grown used to it. Joe was certain that most Immortals had become at least somewhat used to it.  
  
"Well, I checked in the files again and still nothing has come up. This is definately something new to us. We have never seen an Immortal sense another that obviously wasn't there and begin to hallucinate," Joe told them with a sigh.  
  
"We'll have to find him first. He ran off again. This isn't a small town. He could be almost anywhere by now," Amanda replied. "I don't think he can handle what he did just yet."  
  
"We'll have to do the same thing we did before. Look for him the old- fashioned way and hope we find him soon," Duncan replied.  
  
Elkaryene nodded in agreement as she looked away.  
  
"If the two of you want to start without me, go right ahead. I'd rather stay here with Joe until I get calmed down," she told the two older Immortals.  
  
"Well, we'll wait for you," Amanda told her with a smile.  
  
"You don't understand Amanda. It takes me a while to calm down from incidents. For instance, after the _'Titanic'_ incident, I wasn't able to get calmed down, even after help from Scott, for nearly 18 years. After Pearl Harbor, it was nearly 25 years. No, I'm afraid getting calmed down from this incident take a few hours," explained Elkaryene.  
  
Duncan, Amanda and Joe all looked at each other and sighed. They silently agreed that they should find Methos as quickly as possible and help him with whatever was troubling him. They also silently agreed that this would probably be the best for her.

###  
  
Fitzcairn and Charley began to circle each other, their swords lying in their hands.  
  
"I'm going to kill you now and be done with it," sneered Charley as he lunged for Fitzcairn.  
  
The battle continued on. It was slowly growing more intense by each passing moment. They were not realizing that Methos was feeling the effects of their battle.

Methos placed his hands over his ears, the pain growing more intense in his head and it was spreading down to his entire body. He began to walk towards the front pew. He tried to reach out to grab the back of it to keep himself standing but his vision was slowly blurring. He was soon stumbling as he headed over towards the pew.  
  
"What is going on?" he quietly wondered as he missed the back of the pew and fell head-on into the pew and onto the floor.  
  
A streak of blood began to appear on the side of his face from a wound but Methos didn't realize it. He had fallen into an unnatural state of unconsciousness.  
  
TBC...


	7. Problems

Fitzcairn and Charley soon stopped with their battle to look at the Immortal now lying on the floor. Both were slightly surprised by this since Immortals do not normally collapse for any apparent reason: but both of them knew in the back of their minds that it was their fault that Methos was now in this position. Both knew that their quarrelling was slowly getting out of hand and he was feeling it in his mind.  
  
"Now see what you've done? Now when his friends find him, they're going to know something's wrong with him now," Fitzcairn snarled at Charley.  
  
"Now that's where you're wrong now. If they find him sounds more appropriate than when if you ask me," Charley replied with a laugh. "They won't find him! He's too far out of the way to be found! They won't come this far searching for him! I know they won't! She won't be able to help him."  
  
Fitzcairn stood there in silence. He didn't want to admit that Charley might be right about that. Charley noticed the silence of the other dead Immortal and snickered before laughing out loud.  
  
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" he laughed as he lunged for the English man. "One way or another, the cat won't have for much longer. I'll loosen his grip and deal with you myself."  
  
Fitzcairn blocked the oncoming attack and he continued to block them as Charley continued the onslaught of thrusts and advances. Hugh Fitzcairn was finding that he was getting himself into a corner from the advancing Immortal. Literally as he felt the walls against his back as he faced the crazed Immortal. Fitzcairn absently dropped his sword on the floor as the two continued to stare at each other. Fitzcairn growled as his eyes grew cold.  
  
"Look at this. The great hero of Elkaryene Shymel finds his end. You are the only other Immortal to actually keep her from my grasp. Again, here in the afterlife and by the one who was always after the one Immortal with all the knowlege I want. I wonder what will happen to you now that you have been killed as a spirit as well? That is an interesting thought. I never considered the possibilities of that until this very moment," Charley smiled at him. "It's such a pity you had to die, thus giving up your share of keeping her safe to Scott. All the responsibility fell on him and it proved to be too much for him, even after I died."  
  
Fitzcairn gulped for he didn't think about the possibilities of supposedly 'dying' in the afterlife either. He didn't want to think about the idea at all. One way or another, he didn't like the sound of it.  
  
"Do your worst," snarled Fitzcairn. "I can take whatever you throw at me."  
  
"I really doubt it. Here you are, backed up in a corner and there's nothing you can do about it," Charley snickered as he raised his sword.  
  
Fitzcairn closed his eyes but the slamming of a door soon caused both him and Charley to turn and look towards the place the sound came from. They saw a man hurrying up to the unconscious form of Methos and kneel beside him.  
  
"He must be a priest and possibly of this church," muttered Fitzcairn, judging by the clothes on the man before turning to Charley. "We cannot continue this at this time. We will finish this later."  
  
"I can't believe I'm doing this but you're right. We will meet again and I assure you, that time will be near and you will no longer be a threat to me," Charley told him. "Until then, I'll continue with what I've been doing to Scott Winters. Drive him into absolute madness! Besides, how did two Immortals begin to fight on Holy Ground anyway? I think it might still apply here in the afterlife. Who knows? It's just a thought."  
  
Charley disappeared into thin air as Fitz looked over at the two men in the aisle. He walked up to them to have a better look into Methos' condition... and to consider what Charley said about fighting on Holy Ground, even if they were already dead.

"I hate to admit it but he just might be right but I'm not going to admit that to him," Fitzcairn quietly told himself.

He continued to watch the scene before him as Methos began to try and climb to his feet. His eyes were closed and his whole body was violently trembling.   
  
"Sir, can you open your eyes for me?" the man was saying to the Immortal on the floor. "We should get you a hospital. That injury appears to be serious. You might have a concussion or worse."  
  
The man began to stand up and head towards a phone but a hand on his ankle stopped him. He looked back down at the injured man, who was still slowly moving and trying to stand up.  
  
"Please. No hospital," Methos quietly groaned in request.  
  
The oldest man placed a hand over his closed eyes before climbing to a sitting position.  
  
"You should not be moving! A doctor should look you at your injury. It looks like you have received a serious head wound. It could become worse. You might have a serious concussion. You could fall unconscious again or worse! You could die if it's left untreated!" the man told him.  
  
"I'll be fine," replied Methos before standing up. "I'll be fine. It's not serious."  
  
The man was standing beside him as Methos began to lean on the pews to walk. He couldn't believe he was actually seeing someone walking around after receiving a head wound and not being affected by it in a way that didn't appear to be very serious. The man was surprised that Methos was still not unconscious.  
  
"You should not be walking around. You are severely injured!" the man told Methos with obvious shock in his face. "And I still cannot believe what I am seeing."  
  
"Believe it and I'll be fine," replied Methos, walking past the man and heading towards the door.  
  
He stumbled a bit towards the door before leaning on a pew near the door. He fell to his knees and wondered what was going in his head as he began to feel nausea. He knew Immortals didn't become sick, naturally. Methos wanted it to stop as much as Fitzcairn did. But there was a problem. Only one of the two Immortals knew what the cause of the hallucinations and voices in the eldest Immortal's head.  
  
Charley Street and he wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

###

Charley looked on the scene before him from across the church. He was far enough away and in a position that Fitzcairn could not see him.

"You gave up your share of responsibility over her a long time ago Hugh Fitzcairn. She will die by his hand and I will make sure of it. I will also make sure that he will die of grief over what he's done. He won't be able to handle it. Especially since his feelings for the young Immortal are great," muttered Charley. "They will both die."

Charley began to walk over to Methos, who managed to climb into a pew and was hunched over, trying not to become sick. The man who recently came into the building who kneeling beside him, trying to persude the injured man to go to a hospital.

He walked right past Fitzcairn, who was surprised to see him do so. Fitzcairn wasn't expecting Charley's moves at all and tried to grab for the man. But Charley was soon just out of reach of the man's grasp.

"Scott," Charley taunted the eldest Immortal, knowing that Methos could not see him.

Methos reacted to the voice and stood up as quickly as he could. He stumbled into the aisle and looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from. The man who was with him was confused.

"What is wrong?" wondered the man.

"Not again," groaned Methos as he sank to his knees.

Charley walked up behind him and began to call into Methos' ear, saying the name that Charley knew him by before it turned into a maniacal laugh. Methos was scared by the sound of that laugh and made the futile attempt to block the sounds by covering his ears.

"This is serious. We have to get you some medical attention," the man told Methos before he headed towards the area where the phone was located.

"I said no doctors!" yelled Methos as he managed to stand up.

He grabbed his sword and advanced as best he could towards the man.

"There is something wrong with you! You're a madman!" the man yelled at him as he backed away.

Fitzcairn ran up next to Charley and looked at Methos and what he was doing.

"Scott! Calm down! We can talk through this!" Fitzcairn called to him.

Methos heard him and turned his head slightly. There was a wild look in his eyes and Fitzcairn could see that.

"He's in a more delicate state than I first thought," Fitzcairn muttered to himself.

"Of course he is. The more he is, the better. The more likely he will be to attack Ella," Charley snickered.

"You know, you're the madman," Fitzcairn told him.

"I know," Charley replied with a wide smile on his face. "Scott, don't tihnk that I'm not here. I'm still here."

Methos groaned and soon dropped the sword. He fell to his knees and the man who was there hurried over to him.

"Let me help you," the man whispered to him.

"Leave me alone!" Methos snapped at him. "I don't want anyone's help! I'll deal with this problem myself!"

The man appeared to be a bit hurt by this statement as he stood up. Methos stared at him as his body still uncontrolably trembled. Methos looked up at the man with pleading eyes. Eyes that questioned what he had recently done.

"I'm sorry," Methos whispered loud enough for the man to hear him.

"This is my cue to leave for now. Now only does he probably think he's gone mad, he doesn't want help from anyone. Not a stranger and not even his own friends," Charley snickered before disappearing again.

Fitzcairn sighed as he watched the scene before him.

"Why are you doing this to yourself Methos?" Fitzcairn wondered. "Why are you doing this to Elkaryene?"

Fitzcairn sighed as the mortal man walked up to Methos once again, trying to persuade him to go to a hospital and get some help. He placed a hand up to his chin as he continued to watch the scene as Methos began to hurry outside, obviously upset over what he recently done. Fitzcairn began to follow him. He was worried for the Immortal's safety.  
  
"That won't work. There's only one thing that can help Methos now and the only person who can stop it is me," Fitzcairn whispered to himself. "Elkaryene's believing that I can help him and help him is what I'm going to do. She has always believed in me. You're going to be a dead man Charley Street. I'll make sure of it."  
  
TBC...  
  
Author's Note-Please excuse the pun!


	8. Moment of Truth

Amanda couldn't believe as she paced back and forth in the bar. Joe watched her, as did Elkaryene.  
  
"It's been too long. We've been searching for hours and there's still no sign of him," Amanda said in a quiet voice.  
  
"It's been way too long. Duncan's been a good friend. He seems like the type not to try and let people down or knows where he is. I wish Fitz were here. I miss him so much," Elkaryene said as she turned away.  
  
The two people with her noticed she lowered her voice when saying the last two sentences. They knew that she and Hugh were close friends, with him being the first Immortal she had ever met in her short life. They both knew that she still didn't know why he was killed or who killed him. No one ever told her what had happened a few years ago and the situation with Kalas. She didn't know what happened to him.  
  
"Don't worry yourself about it Elkaryene. We'll figure this out sooner or later," Joe assured her.  
  
"I hope so and I would like it to be sooner rather than later. I'm worried about Scott's going through. I mean, it's almost like he's going out of his mind! Hearing things, sensing other Immortals and hallucinating. Immortals don't normally do something like that," she replied as both she and Amanda felt the presence of another Immortal nearby.  
  
Joe watched as they looked in the direction of the door and Duncan walked through it. All three of them sighed once they saw he was alone. Elkaryene groaned.  
  
"Any sign of him?" wondered Amanda.  
  
"No. I haven't seen him. I was hoping the two of you were having more luck than what I was," Duncan replied as he sat down in a chair.  
  
Elkaryene appeared as if she was going to cry as she placed a hand through her hair.  
  
"We'll find him and we will help him with tihs problem, whatever it is," Amanda told her as she sat down in the chair next to her.  
  
Elkaryene nodded her head as she looked at the older woman and smiled.  
  
"We will find him. I've never seen him as the type to give up so easily. I hope he'll get through this," Elkaryene whispered.

"He will and I will make sure of it. I have a feeling that someone's watching out for our dear friend. Whoever it is, will let no harm come to him," Amanda told her.

Elkaryene gave a smile and nodded, believing what the older Immortal had to say.

###  
  
Hugh Fitzcairn walked though the halls of the building, looking for any indication of where Charley could have possibly gone to so quickly, knowing that they were both capable of disappearing in an instant. He had lost any track of the insane Immortal when the fight had stopped and caused Methos inadvertantly lashed out at the man who tried to help him.  
  
"Where are you Charley? We have to finish this," Fitzcairn said to the area around him as he continued to follow Methos.  
  
He was hoping that Charley was nearby and he only had to wait a few moments before Charley suddenly appeared before him, a sword in hand.  
  
"So are you ready to die again?" wondered Charley, a smile on his face. "Please say yes since this will not take long to kill you."  
  
"No, I'm not prepared to die but I am prepared to kill you," Fitzcairn replied as they began to circle each other.  
  
Methos had found his way outside, stumbling and continually falling to his knees along the way and before finally collapsing beside a tree just off the church property. He couldn't see the two standing beside him. He could just make out their voices and Fitzcairn could hear the man quietly sobbing, whispering and hoping everything would stop.   
  
"Let's get this over with. This torment for him has to stop now and for Elkaryene," Fitzcairn told the man standing before him.  
  
"All right, let's go at it then," Charley replied with a sigh, briefly lifting up his arms.  
  
Their swords connected and the battle continued on. Fitzcairn soon dodged an attack by Charley. Fitzcairn could see the craziness in Charley's eyes as the man lunged towards him.  
  
"You know you won't win this," Charley told him with a laugh. "I have never lost a battle in my life."  
  
"We'll have to see about that and yes you have. You will again," replied Fitzcairn as they continued with their battle.  
  
The two dead Immortals continued onwards, Methos not even knowing what was going on around him. He was still in the same place as he was when the battle began just ever so recently but his reaction knew that something was there. His hands were still over his ears as if he were in an intense amount of pain. Fitzcairn figured that Methos' body must be pounding with pain.  
  
"Why did I do that? Elkaryene," he quietly sobbed as he felt the pain coming on again. "I'm so sorry. I hope you'll forgive me."  
  
Fitzcairn growled at that statement. He knew that something had to be done and done immediately. He noticed that Methos placed his hands over his ears. Fitzcairn realized that the pain was coming back and increasing again because of their fight. He fully faced Charley again, who still had his sword prepared.  
  
"You will pay for hurting Elkaryene as much as you did and Scott as well. He's just a pawn in your quest to get her killed. I won't let you do be the death of them," Fitzcairn growled.  
  
"No, I won't pay for hurting them. You are not even a threat to me. You were at one point once I found out about you many years ago but not anymore," replied Charley as he thrust his sword forward.  
  
It connected with Fitzcairn's leg and he fell to the ground, clutching the injury. He figured he must have miscalulated something again as he looked up at Charley, who was now hovering above him.  
  
"Can't you see? In this war, I have won. Even though I have died, that was simply a battle," Charley explained to him.  
  
"You feel that you've won the war, even though you lost that particular battle?" Fitzcairn had to ask.   
  
"Yep," Charley replied as he gave a small nod of the head. "Now it is your turn to be out of the way before I finally drive Scott out of his mind enough that he commits suicide."

"You're insane," Fitzcarin told him.

"How nice of you to notice that. Good-bye Hugh Fitzcairn, good-bye Scott, good-bye Elkaryene," Charley replied with an evil smile on his face.   
  
Fitzcairn gasped as he managed to thrust his sword upwards. It went through Charley's abdomen area and the man gasped. He dropped his sword onto the ground as he staggered back a few steps. He placed a hand over the 'wound' to see that red substance flowing out of him. Fitzcairn watched as Charley fell to the ground before picking up the sword that was recently dropped. Fitzcairn hovered over Charley, with his weight more on his uninjured leg.  
  
"Things change ever so quickly, don't they Street?" wondered Fitzcairn before lifting up the sword.  
  
"I have not won the war after all. I can't believe that I lost after all. What happened along the way? Where did I go wrong?" Charley quietly said as Fitzcairn lifted the sword over his head.

"You underestimated Elkaryene's faith in me, even after I have died. She will always miss me, and have faith in me, even when she still doesn't know the circumstances of my death," Fitzcairn replied before bringing down the sword.  
  
Fitzcairn watched as a mist rose from the body. It appeared to him to be a dark mist as it rose into the air. It almost appeared to be screaming in agony before it slowly started to disappear.  
  
What Hugh Fitzcairn wasn't expecting was the scream coming from behind him, from Methos. He twirled around to see the man stand up, hands on either side of his head. Methos stumbled forward before leaning against another tree. Methos' head arched back, his mouth wide open in a silent scream before his legs decided to give out from underneath him. He lay there in a heap, unmoving. Fitzcairn's jaw dropped as he stared at the motionless body lying on the grounf before him.  
  
"Wasn't expecting that now. Must be that Charley's no longer in his head," he muttered as he watched the dark mist competely disappear from view. "What's going to happen now, now that Charley's gone?"  
  
TBC...


	9. Many Explanations

"Wake up," Methos heard someone say. "Wake up, I would like to talk to you."

Methos groaned and tried to open his eyes. He began to feel pain coursing through his head and entire body as he began to try and sit up. He soon managed to climb to a sitting position and opened his eyes. He looked around the area to see a familiar face kneeling beside him.

"Are you alright? That was a hard hit that you just took," said the man.  
  
"Hugh Fitzcairn? You're a friend of Macleod's. You were killed by Kalas a number of years ago, just before he met me. Why and how could you be here?" the oldest Immortal questioned.  
  
"Aye, I am here laddy. I am here because a friend of mine asked me to help you. And you are a man of many names and faces... Methos," Fitzcairn told him.  
  
"You know who I am?" Methos asked, not believing what he was hearing.

He groaned, believing that Elkaryene might know the truth about his identity as the oldest Immortal.  
  
"I do Methos. I first heard about you from a friend of mine. Perhaps you know her. Her name is Elkaryene Shymel. She's the one who asked me to help you," Fitzcairn told him. "I first knew you as Scott Winters, the one who helped Aryen in the _Titanic_ incident and several ones afterwards, keeping her from Charley's grasp. It is by this name that she still knows you as. You haven't told her anything different and neither have I."  
  
Methos sighed, wondering how Fitzcairn knew about his true identity.  
  
"I found out about you after I died by Kalas' hand, with you becoming friends with Macleod and all soon after," Fitzcairn told him.   
  
"What exactly happened to me?" Methos wondered, refering to the recent incident.  
  
"Charley was what happened. He was in your head, creating havoc with you, making you do things you wouldn't normally do," Fitzcairn replied. "Making you see things, hear things, sense other Immortals that weren't really there. I think he wanted you to go crazy."  
  
Meths nodded, thinking he understood the whole situation now. He might have known that Charley would not leave him alone, even in the afterlife.  
  
"He couldn't leave you alone Methos. He was simply too obsessed with Elkaryene and making sure she died. I believe that he believed you would not want to live with yourself if you ever took Elkaryene's head or seriously injured her. Too bad that had to happen anyway. I think you were taking it really hard," Fitzcairn told him.  
  
"But I did hurt her. I unintentionally killed her by my sword in the middle of a church. Immortals don't attack other Immortals on Holy Ground. That's just not right," Methos wondered as he placed a hand on his head as he tried to stand up. "You won't tell her my real name, will you Fitzcairn? I can see you listen to her when she needs someone to talk to about subjects she'd prefer not to talk me about."

Fitzcairn helped Methos to his feet and looked at him with a smile. Methos slighlty gasped for air, hoping his body would soon be healed from the trauma it just received. He looked at the stare that was facing him and knew what the man was about to say.  
  
"No, I'm not going to tell her Methos. I had no intentions of telling her at anytime. I've had several chances to do so and I never took any of them. I'll probably have more chances unless you tell her yourself. I feel it's up to you to tell her about yourself," Fitzcairn replied with a small smile. "Not me. It was never my job to tell her she became a student to the world's oldest man."  
  
"Fitzcairn... thank you," Methos told him. "I don't know how else to thank you but in that way. You've saved my life and Elkaryene's."  
  
"All I want or need is thank you. Elkaryene's my friend and so are you in a way. I was happy to have helped the two of you," Fitzcairn replied with a smile on his face. "Now go see Elkaryene, Methos. She's terribly worried about you. She won't be able to handle the thought of losing you without you even dying."  
  
Methos smiled just before Fitzcairn disappeared into thin air. Methos gave a small laugh as shook his head.

"I'm sorry things had to happen that way Fitzcairn. She's living a happy life but I know she'd be happier if you were still alive," Methos quietly said before he hurried offas fast as he could towards the bar.

Fitzcairn gave a sad smile from afar.

###  
  
"I can't stand this, not knowing where he is!" cried Elkaryene, pacing back and forth.  
  
"And he could be anywhere by now," Joe said with a sigh as he continued to watch her.  
  
"He could also hurt someone since he's not in his right mind and we still don't know what's causing it," Duncan put in.  
  
Amanda watched the company she was in until she felt another Immortal heading in their direction. Duncan and Elkaryene felt it as well. They looked towards the door to see Methos walk through it, a bit worse for wear but still in one piece.  
  
"Scott?" his young friend questioned, as if wondering if it was safe to approach him.  
  
"Kari, it's all over. I'm not going to attack you. Charley was in my head, making me do things I would never think of doing. Like hurting you," Methos explained as he took his friend into an embrace. "I received some help from an unexpected source."

"Charley Street? Isn't he dead? I thought I killed him," Duncan wondered, not believing what he was hearing.  
  
"What?" wondered Amanda before Methos could answer Macleod's question. "You got help from who exactly?"  
  
"An old friend of Kari's," he replied as he gave Elkaryene a smile. "Someone I know that you miss terribly. I can see it in your heart that you do."

Elkaryene smiled as she looked away from the group.  
  
"Fitz, you did answer my call," she whispered as she clung to his shirt.

"Charley couldn't leave Kari alone. I think he figured that if I took her head, I wouldn't want to live and I wouldn't," Methos explained. "He is dead Macleod but in spirit, he wasn't dead. He was the one in my head. He caused me to attack Kari those times. He thought he could get me to do kill her by attacking my mind."

Duncan Macleod smiled at the relief that this threat was now gone. as it was supposed to stay like that.  
  
None of them saw the figure in the corner of the room, smiling fro ear to ear.  
  
"Both of you are definitely one of a kind, Methos and Kari. I'll always be here to watch over you Aryen, for as long as you live. And the blasted Scot as well, Duncan Macleod of the clan Macleod. He can be such a pain in the ass sometimes, I don't even know how you became friends with him. Heck, it seems like yesterday that I became friends with him. I still don't know why I became friends with him. And I probably would have helped you Aryen, even if you hadn't asked me," Fitzcairn whispered to himself.  
  
He watched as Methos led Elkaryene into a chair and sat down next to her. It appeared to the young Immortal that something was wrong as she looked at the oldest Immortal. She saw the slightly sad yet tired look on his face. She knew he had been thinking long and hard about something.

"Scott, what's wrong?" she wondered, becoming very worried.  
  
"Kari, there's something I'd like to tell you. I'm not as you know me to be," he quietly told her.  
  
Duncan and Amanda stayed away from the two, knowing the two needed some privacy. The Scot and the thief stayed near where Joe was standing, behind the bar. It seems that the three knew that Methos needed to tell her something.  
  
"Scott Winters isn't my real name Kari. It's an alias I use. One of many that I've used over the centuries I've been alive," Methos told her.  
  
Elkaryene was more than a bit surprised, he could tell. But she knew that she understood the use of aliases, having used several herself over her short life after all the incidents she's was involved in.  
  
"Then what is your real name?" she managed to ask. "Are you going to tell me?"  
  
She watched as he paused and lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he came in eye contact with hers and sighed.  
  
"Methos," he finally said. "My name is Methos."  
  
The End

Author's Note-Thanks to all who have reviewed and read. Hope you enjoyed the story.


	10. Epilogue: The Response to the News

Author's Note-I've had someone ask why I didn't show Elkaryene's response to the fact that she was friends with Methos. Well, here it is for anyone who is interested.

###

"What? You're Methos? That can't be right!" she cried out, quickly climbing to her feet.  
  
"It's true. I've thought about it a lot in the past several decades, ever since I met you. I've wondered whether or not to tell you but I always said no. It wasn't until this recent incident happened that changed my mind," Methos told her.  
  
"Did Fitz make you change your mind?" she wondered.  
  
Methos thought about his answer for a moment before opening his mouth.  
  
"Not exactly but he did make me think about something very important," he replied.  
  
Elkaryene stood up from her chair and looked around at the other three around her.  
  
"You all knew, didn't you?" she asked them.  
  
They all sadly nodded and Duncan walked up to her.  
  
"We didn't want to tell you for fear of how you'd react to the news," Duncan told her.  
  
"I don't know what to think," she quietly replied as she turned her face away from his.  
  
Duncan gave a smile and turned her head enough so that she faced him again.  
  
"Look at it this way Elkaryene, it certainly explains some of your theories from earlier," Duncan whispered to her.  
  
Methos walked over to them and placed a hand over her shoulder. She looked at him with sad eyes.  
  
"The main reasons I didn't tell you earlier was because of our safety. If others knew you were friends with the world's oldest Immortal, they would be continually harassing you for my whereabouts and I know you don't want me dead anytime soon. Just like I don't want you dead because you know," Methos explained.  
  
She slowly shook her head as tears began to fall down her face. She looked around the place quickly before she ran out of the building. Amanda started to go after her but Methos grabbed her arm before she could go any further.  
  
"Let her be. She's had a lot of information thrown at her just now. She just needs to think it over," he told her. "I mean, I don't think it's everyday you're told you personally know a legend. I know where she's going. I'll talk to her afer a while."

###

Elkaryene looked up at the sky, tears shimmering in her eyes as she leaned on the rail. She had gone to a place she had liked to go to that was by the water. She soon felt the presence of another Immortal nearby and looked to see it was Methos.

"Kari," he said as he cautiously walked up to her.

"I always thought you were a legend," was all she said.

"I know. Not many know I still exist. They all think I live in the stories that are told," Methos told her as he walked up beside her. "You should know that I didn't tell you sooner was because I was thinking of you."

She looked at him with sad eyes. MEthos always knew that those eyes of ehrs told a story every time he looked at him.

"I really don't know how long I'm going to get over this. This is just as bad as when the _Titanic_ sank or the bombing at Pearl Harbor," Elkaryene quietly said.

"We'll have to wait and see. Only time will tell how much you are in shock," he replied as he glanced at the bloody shirt on her.

He remembered when he had attacked her earlier and thought of Fitzcairn.

"I think he misses you, just as much as you miss him," Methos told her.

"Who?" she questioned.

"Fitzcairn. He told me he could've told you but didn't. He's the reason I told you," Methos replied as he reached for the shirt. "Now I think we should soon change that. It must feel awful against the skin."

"I've gotten used to it," she smiled at him. "I'm just glad I've got the Scott I know back. Is it alright if I still call you Scott for a while. It will be strange calling you anything otherwise for a while and I will still have to get over the shock of being taught by a legend."

"Sure, that's fine," he smiled. "Now let's head back to the dojo."

"But I still don't completely understand why you didn't tell me earlier. I know you've said it was for my own safety and yours, but still, why not?" she asked him.

Methos sighed and turned his head slightly away from her. She lowered her head slightly and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I don't understand some things as quickly as others," Elkaryene apologized.

"Don't apologize. There's nothing to understand yet. I don't even understand yet. I wanted to but I was just afraid of what might happen if I did. Of what would happen to you if anyone found out," he replied.

Elkaryene smiled and they began to head back to the dojo.

"Now can you tell me about the Bronze Age? I've always wanted to know how it felt like to live back then," she asked him.

"Well..." he started. "I'll tell you what I can remember. I've got a lot of memories in the back of my mind."

###

Well, there it is. Short and sweet. Hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
